What kind of person was Salazar Slytherin?
Even as his disciple, Ryan had to admit it. Slytherin defied most conventionally positive terms like gentle, kind, and kindhearted. He was cold, awkward, arrogant, possessed a strange temper, and a vicious tongue—bordering on a Dark wizard in many ways. He delved deeply into the Dark Arts, studying the remains of masters like the Herpo the Foul, even exploring grotesque corpses and blood magic.
His personality was erratic, and he rarely expressed his emotions directly—so much so that even now, few people knew his favorite color wasn't green, and his favorite animal wasn't a snake.
But if Ryan were asked to identify Slytherin's most prominent traits, he would choose two: brilliance and arrogance!
Yes, Salazar Slytherin possessed an arrogance that was unique even among the Founders. He studied the Dark Arts because he arrogantly believed that such evil could not and would not sway his heart.
He was cold and eccentric, arrogantly believing that ordinary wizards were unworthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with him. And every time, he was proven right. His arrogance wasn't groundless but stemmed from his exceptional talent.
He was a master duelist, second only to Gryffindor.
His insights into herbalism and life magic were profound, surpassed only by Hufflepuff.
His research into alchemy and soul magic was equally profound, surpassed only by Ravenclaw.
And his expertise in the Dark Arts and blood magic was unparalleled.
He was like a greedy snake, devouring all that could be devoured, transforming into something more proud and great each time.
"You will witness me sooner or later, Ryan—witness me become the greatest of us all." He had never concealed his ambition from Ryan. Even with his three closest friends, he remained determined to surpass them. As for the obstacles along the way—the pain, exhaustion, difficulty, and effort required—he accepted them all with joy and would overcome them.
Over time, Ryan discovered that Slytherin was actually quite easy to get along with. Unlike most arrogant individuals, he was so proud that he disdained to lie or cover up his mistakes.
For example, he initially disliked Ryan, believing that a young wizard raised by Muggles could never amount to anything, and was even reluctant to adopt him. However, after gradually getting to know him and witnessing his talent and hard work, Slytherin chose to take him in as his apprentice, eventually considering him his sole successor.
While he was aloof, he readily acknowledged the talents of the other three founders and became close friends with them. This wasn't limited to wizards either—Slytherin even acknowledged the intellectual prowess of Muggles. While he did believe wizards were noble and Muggles inferior, he often argued with Gryffindor over this.
"Wizards are inherently nobler than Muggles, for the aura of magic flows in their blood and souls." Magic and enchantment—Slytherin believed this inherent advantage underpinned the nobility of wizards. But... "The outstanding Muggles, despite not being favored by magic, have their own paths and steadfastly pursue them. They are superior to some mediocre, boring wizards... far superior."
This is truly a Slytherin.
In his eyes, the world consisted only of mediocre individuals and those as exceptional as himself—or those with the potential to achieve greatness. Wizards are inherently noble, but their nobility stems solely from their magical favor, giving them a greater chance of achieving greatness.
However, if a Muggle soul also emerges and achieves greatness, he would still recognize them.
This is why Ryan was so dissatisfied with the young Slytherin wizards, even challenging them to a duel.
Because...
"You're not exceptional enough, yet you already possess an undue arrogance. And that arrogance... is truly cheap."
How could a Slytherin have the time to humiliate Muggles or less-than-exceptional wizards? He always simply ignored them. Drawing a sense of superiority from them was inherently mediocre.
Of course, the young wizards present were oblivious to Ryan's memories or comments about Slytherin. They only heard his assessment of them and felt deeply humiliated. But at the same time, what Ryan had just done shocked them deeply—he had raised his hand, grasped Malfoy's spell, and easily crushed it.
It was something beyond the young wizards' understanding... they had never even seen their elders do such a thing. So they dared not wave their wands again, though most of them remained unconvinced.
But then...
"Alright, that's enough," a voice suddenly rang out from the stairs. Ryan turned to see another young wizard emerge. He looked significantly older than Ryan, wearing a green scarf, with a pale complexion and brown-black hair. Besides the house crest, another badge hung on his chest. It was a silver shield with a green enamel edge.
In the center of the crest was a "P," and below it was a serpent—the symbol of Slytherin.
Ryan knew what it was. "Prefect?" P stood for Prefect—the most outstanding student. It was the badge of a Hogwarts prefect.
"Indeed," the wizard said proudly. "Macall Dolohov, fifth-year prefect." He looked at the young wizards of the Snake House around him, then at Ryan, his eyes filled with the same disgust. "This farce ends here, Ryan Elias."
He looked at Ryan's left hand—the same hand Ryan had used to crush Malfoy's spell. Even he couldn't understand how Ryan had done it.
But...
"You may indeed possess exceptional magical talent. But you must learn to respect tradition and the great pure-blood families," He whispered. "You should know that the wizards you just humiliated all have great bloodlines—even including the children of the twelve members of Hogwarts' board of governors. They only need one word..." The threat in his words was clear.
But he hadn't expected that after hearing this...
"That's the problem," Ryan grinned, a bright smile on his face. "I understand the source of your arrogance. Your bloodline is ancient, so your family and ancestors may have great wealth, fame, influence, and power, but..."
As he finished speaking, Ryan drew his wand for the first time since arriving in the common room. He raised it and pointed it at Macall Dolohov. "This is Hogwarts, sir." His words were calm, yet powerful. "Bloodline, wealth, fame, influence, power—they are unimportant here..." He whispered.
This was exactly the aspiration the Founders had for Hogwarts when it was first founded. "This is the cradle of magic. The only thing that matters here is magic itself."
After a moment of surprise, Macall Dolohov let out a disdainful, almost humiliating sneer. "Are you challenging me? You want to cast a spell on me? On the best wizard in Slytherin's fifth year?" He couldn't hide his disgust. "Ignorant Mudblood, what are you..."
He didn't finish his words. As soon as he finished, he saw a glow emanating from the tip of Ryan's wand. Only eleven years old, Ryan's arms were short, and he didn't raise his wand high. But at that moment, the light surrounding the tip of his wand shone brighter than ever before. It was a faint blue light, like the radiance of stars.
It was a higher, more distant perspective—a more dazzling magic!
The next moment, the faint blue starlight from the wand tip poured out like a galaxy. That magnificent starlight surrounded Macall Dolohov's body. At that moment, Michael Dolohov felt as if he were delusional—the young wizard standing before him had transformed into a vast, unreachable starry sky.
He felt his own insignificance, and an inevitable fear rose within him. He seemed to hear the starry sky blazing and roaring at him.
"Fall!"
Bang!
And Machall Dolohov fell to the ground, and his consciousness slipped away from the living plane.
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Author's note
Shoutout to Jacob Hall who has become the new member of the Patreon community! Thank you for your support!
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